Regulator for brake rigging



Feb. 28, 1933. P, A. BLAIR 1,899,075

REGULATOR FOR BRAKE RIGGING Filed Nov. 4, 1929 'I///;\ V 2 a: Z i

Q I INVENTOR.

\\ PaaZAliZuir BY 'r' v AT ORNEYS Patented Feb. 28, 1933 A Ultra? PAUL A. BLAIR, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA REGULATOR FGR BRAKE RIGGING Application filed November 4, 1929. Serial No. 40 L775.

This invention relates to manually actuated regulators for the brake rigging of railway vehicles, and more particularly to regulators of the general type illustrated and described in the patent to lVilliam H. Sauvage, No. 1,681,057, dated August 14, 1928.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical manually actuated regulator more especially applicable to the truck brake rigging of a railway car and with relation to which the invention will be hereinafter described.

A further object is to provide a regulator of the above character, which will be foolproof in operation, in that it will prevent unauthorized use or operation thereof by inexperienced employees.

A further object is to provide a manually actuated regulator of the last above mentioned character with a separate and detachable operating means under direct control of the inspector in charge and adapted to be carried by him durin inspection and regulation to permit rapid regulation of the brakes of the train, thereby avoiding unauthorized tampering of the regulators by others.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the above character in which all of the working parts will be substantially completely housed thereby to protect the same from the dust and dirt of the road, as well as atmospheric conditions.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of constructon, combination of parts and in the unique relation of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, a drawing depicting a preferred form of the invention has been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such drawing like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views, in which Fig. 1 illustrates a longitudinal section of such parts of manually actuated regulator as are necessary to fully understand the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail View of one form of separate and detachable member.

Manually actuated regulators such as shown in the above identified Sauvage pat out have already gone into extensive use, but in a few cases it has happened that inexperienced operators or brak-emen, unfamiliar with the mechanism, have attempted to operate these regulators, but being unfamiliar with their operation and purpose have failed to accomplish the desired result, and have at times increased the brake shoe clearance instead of decreasing the same. The present invention is accordingly directed to the feature of using a separate and detachable actuating mechanism which may be kept entirely under the control of the chief inspector, or his assistant, and yet applied to the regulator quickly and easily, thereby to substan tially instantaneously regulate the brake rigging with which the regulator is associated.

It is therefore preferred to use substantially that type of regulator described in the above identified Sauvage patent which, for example, comprises a housing 5 adapted to be rigidly and permanently secured to a fixed part of the car such as the draft sill 6 by means of rivets 7. Telescoping into this housing is a ratchet bar 8 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 10 normally held in locked position by means of the top wall 11 of the housing. l/Vhen, however, the device is regulated as by moving the ratchet rod 8 relatively towards the left, then this pawl 10 is carried therealong to the enlarged part 12, at which point the ratchet is unlocked and may then pass freely beneath the operative nose of the pawl. The housing 11 is met erably provided with an elongated closed part 1% into which the rod 8 progressively moves in the direction of the arrow, but the lower part is cut away as at 15 to permit assembly, as well as to allow any accumulation of dust, dirt, or water, to drop out of the housin It will be noted that the pawl 10 is provided with an opening 16 adapted to be brought into registry with an opening 17 in the side wall of the housing 12, thereby to receive a pin 18 and hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet rod as, for example, when it is desired to restore the ratchet rod to full release position. All of this is fully explained in the patent above identified.

It will be further noted primarily that the end of the ratchet rod 8 is provided with a downwardly extending member such as the relatively inaccessible hook 20 adapted to be engaged by the hooked end 21 of an actuating bar or rod 22 (Fig. 2) which is about three feet long. Therefore, in operation, it is only necessary for the inspector to carry the rod 22 as he would carry a cane in walking along the side of the train, and when excess brake shoe clearance is noticed, he simply grasps handle 23 and reaches in with the hook 21 to engage part 20, and pulls the ratchet 8 forcibly towards the left. This movement first takes up the lost motion existing between the left end of the pawl 10 and the inner wall of the chamber 12, this lost motion being substantially proportional or equal to norma brake shoe clearance depending on the point of location of the regu lator, and further movement takes up and holds excess travel. On release of the hook 20, the weight of the brake rigging, such as inclined dead lever 23, will restore the parts to normal position as shown.

It is of course to be understood that a regulator of this type is particularly adapted for use in the brake system such as shown in Sauvage patent, No. 1,612,781, dated December 28, 1926, wherein stops or hangers of any desired type are provided for insuring independent operation of one regulator at one end of the car without disturbing the angularity of the truck brake ri ging at the opposite end of the car. Also, t e same type of mechanically and detachable operating device is applicable to the cylinder levers beneath the car without material modification if that type of regulator should be in use.

rom the above, it will be seen that the present invention constitutes a simple and practical manually actuated regulator with a quick detachable operating portion, thereby rendering the regulator more foolproof after its installation.

The invention is of sim le and practical construction and it may be inexpensively applied to railway cars new in use without mate rial alterations or changes, and is well adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the ob'ects and advantages herein set forth.

ithout further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various ap lications without omitting certain features t at, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a manually actuated regulator for the brakes of railway vehicles, including a housing, a take up rod adapted to be connected with a brake lever and extending into and concealed within said housing, permanent take up and holding means cooperating with said rod having a lost motion device for insuring brake shoe clearance, and a normally disconnected manually actuated member adapted to be brought into engagement with one of the movable parts for actuating said regulator.

2. In a manually actuated regulator for the brakes of railway vehicles, including a housing, a take up rod adapted to be connected with a brake lever and extending into and concealed within said housing, permanent take up and holding means cooperating with said rod having a lost motion device for insuring brake shoe clearance, and a normally disconnected manually actuated member adapted to be brought into engagement with one of the movable parts for actuating said regulator, said last mentioned means comprising a rod having means for engaging a movable part of the regulator to operate the same.

3. In a manually actuated regulator for the brakes of railway vehicles, including a housing, a take up rod adapted to be connected with a brake lever and extending into and concealed within said housing, permanent take up and holdingmeans cooperating with said rod having a lost motion device for insuring brake shoe clearance, and a normally disconnected manually actuated elongated member adapted to engage a relatively inaccessible part of one of the movable parts of the regulator for actuating the same.

Signed at Washington, District of Columbia, this 23rd day of October, 1929.

PAUL A. BLAIR. 

